By Ken Groves
Ventriloquism as a show stands on its own when performed correctly. When vent is done poorly, you’ll need something else to prop it up: magic, balloons, fireworks, or WMD. There’s nothing worse than a ventriloquist act where the "mystery" of vent is missing. What am I talking about? Consider a magician. What makes magic work? Everybody knows it is a trick; everybody knows it is not real. So why is the art of magic growing and expanding? It’s the "mystery" that is the foundation of magic that keeps people coming back for more.
VENT IS NO DIFFERENT. We must put "mystery" back into our shows. "How do they do that?" "How do they get the puppet to move like that?" "It looks so REAL!" "How do they get the puppet’s voice so loud and clear?" "It’s just like two people having a conversation!" "Your lips never move! Not once!" "That is amazing!" "When are you performing again?" THAT last question is the question you want to hear: "When are you performing again?" When vent is done correctly, the audience wants more. If you feel the need to ADD something to your vent show, maybe you should get back to the basics of vent and put the "MYSTERY" back into your performance.
Newsy Vents 10/2005
Ken, I would agree with you wholeheartedly but for the fact I use magic not to prop up my venting, but to give my character an additional facet to his personality. Scotty and Vinnie both use magic to teach young children life lessons which is the purpose of my vent time.
ReplyDeleteMy vent and my magic easily stand alone, but together they give me a stronger base from which to share my message.